Till the World Ends
by LittlePrinceOfStarkhaven
Summary: For an apostate, love is dangerous. But Briar Hawke can't help but find herself drawn to Sebastian Vael, a man of faith who she is sure will lead her to ruin. f!mageHawke/Sebastian. M for later chapters
1. Redeemed

It had been two years since the Deep Roads expedition, and Briar Hawke just wanted her brother back. All of the posturing and politeness that was expected around nobility was infuriating, and if she'd had Carver by her side, all of this would have been more bearable. But he was a Grey Warden now, off killing darkspawn and carving out his own path. Normally, the thought of him going off and doing what he wanted to would have made her happy. But she missed her little brother and his constant grousing. She would have killed to have him complaining about being in her shadow instead of going to another damned party, but she had no choice. Her mother was trying to marry her off to continue the Amell name, and that meant going to parties.

There was nothing Hawke hated more than noble parties. All the simpering and thinly veiled insults drove her crazy, and she was convinced that one day she was going to snap and burn down Hightown just so she wouldn't have to go to any more damned parties. But the loss of Carver had hit her mother hard, and if she had to get married to some idiotic noble to make her mother happy again, then she'd gladly do it.

Tonight's party was held by the viscount, and she suspected her mother was going to try to fling her at Seamus this time. It was a brilliant plan, and she had to grudgingly respect her mother for it. Hawke doubted that the viscount's son would have any romantic interest in her, so she could at least have the comfort of knowing that this match wasn't going to work out at the party. Still, she would have to get all dolled up, and the thought didn't exactly make her excited.

There was a knock on Hawke's door and she stood up from her desk, closing the tome she had been reading. To her complete lack of surprise, she opened her door to see her mother standing there, holding up a new dress. Leandra Hawke was wearing quite a smug little grin and her daughter rolled her eyes a little, leaning against the door.

"Another dress?" Briar groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Mother, I know you want me to look nice at these parties, but do you really need to get me a new dress for every one?"

"The nobles are very picky about how people look at these kinds of things, dear," her mother scolded, pushing the dress into Hawke's arms. "And this is a party in the viscount's keep. You need to look absolutely stunning."

"So that you can throw a few young nobles at me, I'm guessing?" Briar shifted uncomfortably, fairly certain that her mother had a pair of horrid shoes to go along with the dress. "I understand that you want me to marry, mother, but do I really have to keep going to these parties? They're so boring."

Leandra let out a very familiar sigh, the one that always came before a lecture. Briar braced herself for the inevitable scolding she was going to get.

"And I suppose you'd rather be in the Hanged Man, drinking swill and making a fool out of yourself?" Ah yes, there it was. Hawke had heard this exact lecture before, and wasn't surprised her mother had chosen this specific one. "You're nobility now, Briar, and you can't just go around doing what you want to. I put up with your adventuring because I know the nobles appreciate it, but you can't go around doing things like that. You are a noble woman now, and if you want to get married, you need to behave. Sleeping around isn't—"

"Mother!" Hawke cried out in disgust, her face crinkling into an expression of extreme distaste. "I don't sleep around." That wasn't completely true. There had been a little… incident with Anders when they had both been drunk, but they had both agreed to keep it quiet, thank the Maker. Her mother would have been furious.

"No, but you behave like a wild woman anyways." Leandra crossed her arms and gave Briar a look that would have scared her completely silent when she was a child. Fortunately, father had given her some tips on how to stand her ground before he had died. "You're going to this party and you're wearing that dress. I trust that you'll use that special makeup to cover your tattoo. We leave before the sun sets."

Turning on her heel, Leandra Hawke walked away, every line of her body giving away just how annoyed she was. Hawke felt guilty. She knew that her mother was still taking Carver's absence hard, and sometimes she took out her grief and frustration on the only child she had left. Resolving to apologize to her mother later, Briar closed her door and laid out her new dress on her bed.

Her mother really did have good taste in dresses. This one was made from dark green silk, which would "make her eyes pop," as she was sure her mother would have said. It was cut low, but not too low, and cinched tightly around the waist. Running her fingers over it, she sighed and shook her head. It was about time she started getting ready, as much as she hated it. Stripping, Briar managed to slip into the dress by herself, lacing up the bodice with a small degree of difficulty.

Stepping over to her vanity, Hawke sat down and pulled out a small jar of special make-up Anders had made for her. Smoothing it over the tattoo that curled around her right eye and temple, she let small wisps of her magic slip into the cream. It glowed faintly for a second before it turned the color of her skin, completely covering her tattoo. The fact that she had to cover her tattoo was extremely annoying, and she didn't understand the point of it. Leandra had told her that most nobles didn't appreciate tattoos, but she didn't since the point in covering it up if they would see her around Kirkwall with it. Still, she wasn't going to argue with her mother about something so small.

Now she just had to worry about her hair. Opting to go the simple route, she braided her long black hair over one shoulder, admiring herself in the mirror when she was done. The dress really did accentuate her eyes, and made her look like she actually had curves instead of just being scrawny. Carver would have made fun of her for wearing such a dress, but then again, he was the one who had originally pointed out her lack of curves. Smiling at the memories of her brother that had surfaced, she pushed herself up and stretched, grunting when her back popped. Shoes and jewelry were the last things she worried about, and she always let her mother take care of those.

Slipping out of her room quietly, Briar knocked on her mother's door and smiled when it opened. Leandra sighed and gently touched her daughter's cheek, a small smile turning up the corner of her lips.

"Such a beautiful girl," she whispered. "You look just like your father."

Briar smiled at her mother, who turned and motioned for her daughter to come in her room. Pulling out a chair, Leandra motioned for her to sit in it. She obeyed, watching as her mother retrieved a small jewelry box, a make-up kit, and green silk shoes. It was hard not to grimace when she saw the heels on those shoes, but she kept her expression very carefully neutral. Setting up behind Hawke, her mother pulled out a string of pearls and clasped it around her neck, adjusting the braid just slightly. The she turned the chair around and applied some kohl around her eyes and rouge on her cheeks and lips. Finally, Briar slipped her feet into those damned shoes and scowled, curling her toes inside the shoes before standing up.

"Why can't I just wear boots to these things?" Briar asked, shifting uncomfortably and nearly twisting her ankle. "My dress goes down to the floor anyways."

"You'll be dancing, and we both know you're a clumsy girl when it comes to that," Leandra answered, picking up a few sprigs of Andraste's Grace and tucking them into Briar's braid and behind her ear. "There. You look absolutely beautiful."

Smiling, Briar gave her mother a hug before leaving the room so she could get ready. Shutting the door behind her, she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Maker give her strength, because if her mother had truly worked wonders on her and made her look appealing, she would be beating men off of her the entire night. The thought made her scowl and she made her way downstairs, sulking. Bodhan assured her that she looked lovely and Sandal chimed in as well, giving her a bright grin. The dwarves had been a bright presence in the household, cheering the family up when they thought of all they had lost.

Finally Leandra came down, her silver hair swept back into a bun, dressed in a gown of purple silk. Briar smiled when she saw her mother, motioning towards the front door.

"We should probably go, mother. We don't want to be late for the party," she said, linking her arm with her mother's and leading her out. "I want to get a head start on the wine."

Leandra just laughed and shook her head, walking up the steps to the Viscount's keep with Hawke's help. It was a good thing they lived so close to the building, or they would have had to take a coach of some kind. Leandra wasn't as spry as she used to be, and she hid how tired she was after climbing the stairs well. But Briar still helped her inside the building, still holding her up with one hand on her elbow.

Servants took their cloaks and handed them glasses of wine. Leandra refused, but Hawke took the one offered to her gladly, wandering off as her mother approached a group of nobles. The building was full of people, and Hawke had no doubt that all of the nobles in Kirkwall were present for this party. Finding a spot that looked sufficiently vacant, she leaned against the wall and took a sip of her wine. It definitely tasted better than what was served in the Hanged Man, but she would have rather been drinking piss beer and talking with friends than drinking fine wine and standing alone at a party.

"Hawke?"

Looking up when she heard her name, Briar saw none other than Sebastian Vael approaching her, a smile on his face. Andraste's flaming knickers, he looked amazing. The white tunic he wore was embroidered with gold thread, fitting his torso quite snugly and accentuating his waist. Surely having a waist like that was considered sinful somewhere. His breeches were too tight and too tempting as well, his boots shining in the light of the chandeliers. She mentally shook herself, horrified at these thougts. He was a man of the Chantry, someone who would turn her in to the Templars in the blink of an eye if he knew that she was a mage. But she smiled at him, clutching her glass of wine tighter.

"Hello, Sebastian. It's been a while, hasn't it?" she asked, voice tight. He looked amazing, and that smile wasn't helping anything. That smile had probably charmed many women, leading them straight into temptation. "I think it's been a few months," Briar blurted.

"Three months, I believe," Sebastian answered, stopping in front of her and clasping his hands behind his back. He looked like a prince, completely in his element and relaxed. Bastard.

"Have you had any luck petitioning for aid to get Starkhaven back?" she asked, taking another sip of wine. Where was the rest of the wine? If she had to deal with this all night, she would need to be drunk out of her mind.

"No." Sebastian frowned, and Briar almost whined. She just wanted to see that gorgeous smile again. Damn it all, she shouldn't have brought up this subject. "Kirkwall has been devoting all of its resources to the Qunari problem, and they can't afford to give me any support right now. But that really isn't something to talk about at a party," he said, that smile lighting up his face again.

"You look very nice," Hawke found herself saying. Apparently her brain-to-mouth filter wasn't working very well tonight, and her face flushed. Flirting with a Chantry man, just wonderful. She may as well have flung herself in front of the knight-commander and screamed 'I'm an apostate'.

But much to her surprise, Sebastian's smile only grew and he looked her over. Hawke could have sworn that she was blushing all over now, and she ducked her head to try to hide how red her face was.

"You look beautiful yourself," he said. "Although I thought you had a tattoo around your right eye. Did you get it removed?"

"Oh, no," Briar replied, clearing her throat and looking back up once she was sure it was safe. "My mother just doesn't think it's appropriate for me to walk around with a tattoo on my face at these things. One of my friends made some make-up for me that would hide it."

One reddish eyebrow quirked up and Hawke instantly regretted saying that. Make-up that could hide tattoos wasn't exactly common, and if Sebastian put all the puzzle pieces together, her cover could be blown entirely. But instead of dragging her to the Gallows and demanding that she turned herself in, he simply smiled and laughed. Oh Maker, that laugh was nice. It was deep and rumbling, just like his thick accent. Once again, Briar scolded herself for letting her guard down.

"Is that Andraste's Grace?" Before she could react, Sebastian was very close, one hand reaching out and gently touching the flowers that had been tucked behind her ear and pinned in her hair. She was suddenly very aware of the scent of incense and resin, some sort of woody tone as well. Sebastian smelled like an archer, and it was overwhelmingly pleasant. "It suits you well. Very delicate, like you."

Briar opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by her mother approaching. Apologizing profusely to Sebastian, Leandra pulled her towards the viscount and his son, away from her safe little corner. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched Sebastian watch her leave, the smile on his face turning into a frown. A lump formed in her throat and she faced the men she was now confronted with, forcing a smile on his face.

Sebastian Vael was dangerous, and she couldn't fall into his trap. Because if she did, it would undoubtedly be the end of her.


	2. If Not Now, When?

One year after running into Sebastian at the party, Briar had to confront her fears. He had sent a letter to her, asking her to come to the Chantry. There had been some new information that turned up, apparently, and he had wanted her help. So she had shown up to the Chantry, uncomfortable and scared now that her brother wasn't there with her. Carver had been a comforting presence in the Chantry and the Gallows, even if he had lectured her about being in such places. But Varric was just as comforting a presence, cracking bad jokes and narrating her as she spoke to Sebastian. She suspected he had used that clever little mind of his to figure out the feelings that made her so uncomfortable, and was going to use that to his advantage later.

But before she knew it, she stood in a Hightown mansion with Sebastian, Fenris, and Isabela. Clutching her staff tightly, she ran from room to room, encountering different members of the Harimann family. Each one was acting strangely, and Sebastian got more and more distressed as they went along. Briar got more nervous as they approached their destination, the basement. What would he do if he saw her flinging bolts of electricity around during a battle? Would he knock her out and drag her to the Circle? Kill her outright? Call her out for the danger that she was?

She had to choose quickly when demons appeared in the room, lunging for her companions. Taking a deep breath, Briar spun her staff and began attacking the demons, arcs of electricity and ice sweeping across the battlefield from her staff. She kept away from Sebastian, not daring to look at him as they fought. But she could hear him grunting, the snap of an arrow being loosed from his bow. When all the demons had been felled, she cast a nervous glance in his direction. Even in the dim light of the basement, Sebastian's armor shone. He gingerly dabbed at a burn on his neck, grimacing.

Well, it was now or never. Stepping forward, Briar strapped her staff to her back again and cleared her throat. Sebastian looked at her, his bright blue eyes sharp. She flinched visibly, but still advanced towards him.

"Let me ease the pain," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her hands were shaking, and the fear that he was going to demand that she turn herself in was screaming at her.

But he nodded and tilted his head to the side to bare his neck to her. Letting out a relieved sigh, she stepped closer and rested one hand on the burn. Briar closed her eyes and let small wisps of her magic seep into the wound, effectively numbing and cooling it at the same time. When she was done, she made a hasty retreat and clasped her hands behind her back.

"There. I'll have to put a salve on it later to actually heal the burn, but it shouldn't hurt," she blurted, turning to the entrance to the passage. "Let's go, we're wasting time."

Briar didn't wait for anyone to respond, simply dashed into the passage and hoped that they would follow. The sound of boots hitting wooden stairs behind her comforted her and she stopped when she reached the bottom of the stairs, looking around. It was eerie, to say the very least, and she grimaced when she smelled something burning. Wonderful, more demons. There were always more demons. Letting out a long suffering sigh, she pulled her staff off of her back and ran forward, unleashing lightning and ice on the demons once again. Sebastian stood his ground next to her, whispering prayers under his breath as he shot demon after demon. The battle finally died down and she stopped by each one of her companions, closing any wounds and giving each of them health potions. Sebastian avoided meeting her eye, and dread surfaced in her again. The chances of him turning her in after this were very high, and no matter how warm his skin felt beneath her hands, she couldn't let him distract her from the danger he was.

They fought through two more waves of demons and Briar made sure to keep her distance from Sebastian, crushing any demons who threatened to hurt him from a distance. They encountered Lady Harimann and a desire demon, but she didn't let the damned thing spread its lies. She attacked as soon as she could, freezing both of them in place. The others quickly took care of them, and she took out the other waves of demons that came at them. When it was all over with, Briar leaned against the nearest wall, her body heavy with exhaustion. Someone took her arm and wrapped it around their shoulders, propping her up. She didn't open her eyes, simply let them lead her back up the stairs and into the Harimann estate. The scent of resin and incense overwhelmed her again and she leaned against Sebastian's warm body, letting him help her out of the house after a brief argument with the Harimann daughter.

Somewhere along the way, she felt his arm tighten around her waist and she opened her eyes, glancing up at him. His tan face looked ashen, and he kept his eyes off of her. Turning her gaze on the ground again, Briar slipped out of his grasp and stumbled slightly, shaking her head. Yes, she had overexerted herself in there, but that didn't mean she had to rely on someone to carry her home. Sebastian finally turned his gaze on her, raising his eyebrows in an incredulous look. Growling at the back of her throat, she waved off the look and made her way back towards her home.

"Go back to the Chantry and tell the Grand Cleric about what happened," she grumbled, not turning to face her companions. "Come by my estate later for healing, all of you."

A few hours later, Bodahn called up to tell her that she had a visitor. Briar set down the mug of tea she had been drinking and flipped closed her book, pushing away from her desk and walking out to the landing. Standing there, without his armor, was Sebastian. He looked incredibly uncomfortable, and she tensed up, sure that he was here to turn her in. Leaning against the banister, she whistled and waved at him when he looked up. Forcing a crooked grin on her face, she jerked her thumb towards her room.

"Come on up," she called down to him. "I have all of my healing supplies in my room."

Briar could have sworn that Sebastian's face reddened, but it was probably just the lighting. Turning from the banister, she walked into her room and pulled out her supplies, motioning for Sebastian to sit down when he came in. He obeyed, and she gingerly pressed her fingers against the burn on his neck. A low hiss of pain escaped from him and she yanked her hand away.

"Sorry. Forgot that the numbing would have worn off by now. Do you have any other wounds?" Briar asked as she turned to pick up a jar of salve.

"A few, yes." He didn't elaborate, and she sighed.

"Where are the other wounds?" Turning back around, she dipped her fingers in the salve and tipped his head back, smoothing the thick green balm across his neck. Sebastian let out a pleased little hum as her magic threaded in with the salve, healing the burn.

"Chest and back," Sebastian answered, opening his eyes. Their eyes locked for a second and Briar felt her cheeks heat up. Quickly looking away, she cleared her throat and put away the salve, wiping her fingers on her skirt.

"Take your shirt off." The order simply slipped out, and it wasn't until she saw the look of utter shock on Sebastian's face that she realized how that demand could have been taken. Briar's face turned a nice deep shade of red and she threw her hands up. "So that I can heal the wounds! I can't really get to them through your shirt, after all."

Shifting awkwardly, Sebastian unzipped his coat and shrugged it off. As he reached for the hem of his shirt, she turned away and pulled out a few more jars and some bandages, trying to calm herself. When she turned back around, she nearly dropped what she had picked up. Briar had suspected that he was muscular, since pulling back a bow string took enormous strength. But he was incredibly well built, not as bulky as Carver, but still muscular. Gashes stretched down his back, and she winced slightly. They looked incredibly painful, and it was a wonder that he hadn't been showing signs of how much they hurt.

Briar cleared her throat to announce her presence behind him and gently ran her fingers over the gashes. She heard him suck in a breath and let tendrils of magic escape from her, numbing the pain slightly. Mumbling an apology, she dipped her fingers into an antiseptic and smeared it over the wounds. Sebastian tensed up, and she placed both of her hands on his back, shaking her head.

"If you tense up, I can't heal you properly," she scolded. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you."

To her surprise, Sebastian relaxed and she finished cleaning the wounds on his back. Closing her eyes, she pressed her palms against his back and focused. A soft glow enveloped her hands and the gashes closed until they were only angry red lines.

"You're a mage." The statement was abrupt, and it made her stiffen up. "An apostate."

"Is that a problem?" Briar moved around to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. Maker, did he have a nice chest. It was lightly covered with reddish hair, and well-toned too. He just had a few bruises on his ribs, but she refused to touch them. Not until he answered her.

"You should be in the Circle," Sebastian stated, giving her an icy stare right back. "It's safer for mages there."

A bitter laugh escaped from Briar and she shook her head. Hearing things like this was starting to get old. She got it from Fenris all the time, from Aveline every once in a while, and from Carver in his letters. But to get it from Sebastian as well? This was the final straw.

"Safe? Do you know what happens to mages in the Circle?" She spat this out at him, shaking in rage. "If I turned myself in, I could be beaten and raped by Templars. And that's if I'm lucky. More than likely, they'd make me Tranquil or kill me for the Templars I've fought and fled from here. So don't lecture me."

Sebastian frowned at her, his brows furrowing. No, she wasn't going to be distracted by how incredibly handsome he was this time. She turned away from him, packing away her things.

"So if you have a problem with the way I live, leave." It was a bit harsh, but she didn't want to set him ablaze in a fit of rage.

"Hawke." Sebastian's voice was quiet, and much closer than she had realized. Turning, she nearly smacked right into his chest. He stood right in front of her, looking down at her with a very strange look in his eyes. "I did not intend to offend you. I don't know how the Kirkwall Circle works, and I should not have assumed anything. So I'm sorry."

That had not been what she was expecting. Staring up at him with an expression somewhere between shock and relief, Briar struggled to come up with an answer. Something witty, that would show him she wasn't at all surprised by this sudden kindness. He really was awfully close to her, wasn't he? She swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat and ducked around him, pointing to his ribs.

"You should be more worried about those bruises than offending me, Sebastian," she said, letting out a nervous little laugh and shrugging. "I hear that kind of stuff all the time, anyways. Now come here and let me finish my job, why don't you?"

It was only after Sebastian left that Briar realized she easily could have kissed him. She never had been good with these kinds of things.


End file.
